


Knighthawke

by weirdgirl42



Category: Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. (TV), Ladyhawke (1985)
Genre: Alternate Universe, F/M, Gen, Some depiction of possible suicide, some violence
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-11-22
Updated: 2016-01-05
Packaged: 2018-05-02 21:30:36
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 11
Words: 17,424
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5264309
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/weirdgirl42/pseuds/weirdgirl42
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A philinda/ladyhawke AU.</p>
<p>The Queen had fallen in love with a young man who worked in the castle, but his heart was already lost to the captain of the guard.  So the queen cursed them to live always together and yet ever apart.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Down the Drain

**Author's Note:**

> Obviously I don't own AOS or Ladyhawke.

Chapter 1

When she was a child, Daisy hated being so small. She was always the shortest and skinniest at St. Agnes and it made her an easy target for the more aggressive children. She'd lay in her narrow bed every night asking the universe to make her taller, bulkier, stronger, anything. But small and thin she stayed and an easy target she remained. 

Now, however, as she struggled through the narrow tunnel leading to freedom Daisy thanked the universe for her small frame and narrow shoulders. 

“Come on,” she whispered to herself. “Nothing is impossible.” She clawed at the mud and after a few minutes finally felt air on her hands. The wall came away and she squeezed through the tiny hole and fell into the sewer. It smelled horrendous but after two months in the queen’s dungeon she was used to terrible smells. She made her way slowly towards the light she could see in the distance, making as little noise as possible. After what seemed like forever she came to a grate and could see that beyond it was the moat of the prison. Squeezing through the bars she was finally free. 

The water of the moat was only slightly cleaner than the sewer but to Daisy it felt like a mountain stream. She swam slowly along the bridge, staying in the shadows. She needn’t have bothered though, the few guards that were around could not have been paying any less attention to the water as they joked and ate their sandwiches.  
She knew she shouldn’t. She knew it was dangerous. But she also knew that she was a weak-willed person sometimes, and that she would need money on the road. She needed to eat, she needed a play to sleep, and the guard’s purse was just sitting there.

XXXXXXXXXX

“Bring me the next one!” Sitwell called. He watched as one of the guards brought an old man out of a cell, dragging the pathetic creature towards him. “No not that one. Bring me Daisy Johnson.” The guard nodded and pointed towards another cell. Sitwell looked in but saw only a man curled up in the corner. “No I wanted Daisy Johnson. The one they call Skye.”

“Skye?” said the prisoner, his voice strange, almost unconcerned. Sitwell wasn’t used to that sort of nonchalance in the dungeons. “Skye,” the prisoner continued. “Skye, she said goodbye. No Skye today, she’s runaway. To ease the pain, she’s down the drain.” The prisoner was laughing now, a hysterical high pitched laughter.

Sitwell grabbed the man and dragged him off the floor. “Tell me where she went, old man!”

“I just told you!” the man screamed.

Sitwell shoved him at the guard, “Take him instead.” He looked over at the drain in the cell. It couldn’t be more than a foot square. “No one could get down there,” he whispered to himself.

XXXXXXXXXX

When Daisy was finally out of the water she made her way quickly to the woods. She needed to get away from the capitol as quickly as possible. She took a clean tunic and pants off the washing line of a farm and finally shed the clothes she’d been wearing since her arrest. For several days she walked through the forest, eating what she could find, sleeping under trees. She passed many villages and it took everything in her to stay away. It wasn’t safe yet. She had to get further away.

After nearly a week she finally decided that she was far enough from the capitol to stop at a small inn.. The man who owned the place gave her a look when she asked for a bowl of stew and a mug of wine. Daisy rolled her eyes and held up the guard’s stolen purse, jingling it enough to prove the coin was there. The man nodded and brought the food. Daisy tried to eat slowly, tried not to give away the fact that it was the first real food she’d eaten in months.

She ate half the bowl and then paused to let the food settle. She knew from experience that eating too much too fast after so long could make her sick. She sipped the sour wine and checked out her surroundings. There were a few other people at the scattered tables outside the inn. A man and a woman arguing about directions. A man in a black cloak hunched over a bowl. And two royal guards that Daisy had completed missed in her rush to eat.

“Damn,” she whispered under her breath. She lowered her head and took another bite of stew. She had to stay calm.

“Four bits.”

Daisy looked up, The innkeeper was standing over her table with his hand out. “What?” she said, her mind suddenly blank.

“Four bits!” the man said more forcefully.

Daisy glanced at the guards who were now looking over at them. The innkeeper grabbed her arm and yanked her off the chair. “You trying to cheat me girl? Put some scrap metal in that fancy purse so it jingles pretty?”

“No!” Daisy cried.

The guards were at the table now. “What’s going on here?” said the taller one.

“Girl doesn’t want to pay,” the innkeeper told them.

“Wait no I...” Daisy was cut off by the guard patting her down until he found the purse and pulled it out of her pocket. He looked at the fine leather and looked back at Daisy.

“Where did you get this?”he asked.

The shorter guard was studying Daisy’s face. “Wait,” he said. “I know her. She’s that thief.”

“Skye,” said the first guard, grabbing Daisy by the collar. “You were never suppose to see the sun again.”

“Not until they hanged you at least,” the second laughed.

“Please,” said Daisy, “please you’re wrong. My name is...” she was cut off by the guard tossing her to the ground. She heard him draw his sword and she closed her eyes tightly.

All at once she heard the unmistakable sound of an arrow flying through the air. She looked up just in time to roll out of the way before the now-dead guard fell on top of her, a crossbow arrow in his head. The other guard had drawn his sword and was advancing on the cloaked man who had fired the arrow. But the figure removed their hood and Daisy saw it wasn’t a man. It was a woman. She heard gasps and whispers from the other patrons.

“It’s Captain May,” the husband whispered to his wife.

The fight was short, it seemed as though this Captain barely had to try. Daisy watched in awe. A quick clanking of swords and the second guard was on the ground and the knight was pulling her blade out of his side and walking away towards her horse. Daisy scrambled to her feet, threw a few coins onto the table and hurried after her.

“Wait,” she called.

The knight turned, her eyes cold and her face impassive.

“Thank you,” Daisy said with a shrug, unable to find anything else to say.

“You shouldn’t be so careless next time,” the woman said, her voice hard. She turned back to the horse and, after storing her sword and crossbow, began to lead the animal down the road. Then there was a high shriek and the woman looked up as a hawk flew down and landed on her shoulder.

Daisy shook her head, not sure what had just happened or why she was contemplating this next move but before she could think about it any further she found herself hurrying after the knight.

TBC


	2. The Wolf

Chapter 2

They walked through the woods in silence for what seemed like miles. The strange knight didn’t so much as look back at Daisy, though Daisy was sure the woman knew she was there. She wasn’t exactly being subtle. Every so often there would be flutter of wings and a shriek from the hawk that flew above them. Daisy always tensed at the sound but the knight would simply look up at the animal, as if confirming the hawk’s presence before moving on.

A few hours before sunset the knight halted in a clearing. “We’ll make camp here.”

“Really?” asked Daisy. “There’s still a lot of light left.”

“There’s a stream nearby,” the woman replied, her voice quiet but still somewhat dangerous. “Take the horse.”

Daisy was moving to obey before she even realized. She waited patiently as the knight removed the saddle and pack from the horse’s back and then began to lead the huge animal away. She paused and looked back, seeing that the woman was stacking stones in a circle for a fire. “Why are you letting me stay?” she asked.

The knight made no indication that she’d heard and Daisy was about the turn back towards the stream when her voice came softly, “You escaped the dungeon.”

“I did.”

“So you can get me past the gate into the castle.”

“Wait if you think I dug through a mile of mud and then walked through a sewer just to go back you’re crazier than you seem.”

“You don’t have to go back. Just show me how.”

Daisy considered this. They were still at least five days walk from the capitol, she was safer with this knight, she knew that. She wouldn’t have to actually go all the way, just for the next couple of days until she had a new plan. No one would be looking for a knight’s squire anyway. So she nodded and went to water the horse.

When she returned there was a fire going. Daisy sat down against a tree and took the piece of dried meat held out to her. They stared at the fire in silence for several minutes. “I know who you are,” Daisy said quietly. “You’re Captain May. The queen’s captain of the guard.”

Silence.

“It is you isn’t it?” Daisy continued, “The one they called the Cavalry.”

At this the knight looked up. “Don’t ever call me that.”

Daisy shivered at her words. Not because of the implicit threat, but of the pain in her voice. “They say the queen banished you. That there is a bounty on your head if you ever return to the kingdom.”

“There is. Are you looking to collect it?”

Daisy shook her head.

“I know who you are too, little thief,” May said. “They call you Skye because you dropped out of the sky from nowhere into the abbey and stole all the offering money before disappearing like the clouds.”

“That was a long time ago.”

“I know.”

“And I didn’t drop from the sky. I came up from the floor.”

“So they should have called you Mole, or Mouse.”

“The dropping from the sky and disappearing like a cloud seemed like a better myth to cultivate than the orphan who crawled through a sewer to steal coin from the church.” She stared at the crackling logs. “They’ll kill me if I go back,” she said quietly.

“I know. I won’t let that happen.”

Daisy was about to respond when she heard a flapping of wings. The hawk that had been with them all afternoon flew down and landed on May’s outstretched arm. Daisy watched entranced as May ran her hand over the bird’s feathers. For the first time she noticed that the hawk had small strings of leather tied around its talons. “What’s it’s name?” she asked.

May looked over at her but didn’t answer the question. She stood, the bird moving to rest on her shoulder. “Stay here tonight,” she said, her tone brokering no argument.

“Where are you going?”

“To check the road up ahead. Don’t worry if I’m not here, little thief. Sleep. You’re safe. I’ll be here in the morning.”

Daisy knew she should be skeptical. But for some reason she believed her.

XXXXXXXXXX

“You sent for me Your Majesty?”

Queen Rosalind looked up from the large book on the table in front of her as Captain Ward entered the throne room. “Yes Captain I did,” she replied.

Ward bowed, removed his helm, and waited patiently for the queen to speak again.

“It has come to my attention,” the Queen continued, “that Melinda May has returned to the kingdom.”

Ward was well trained enough not to let his surprise show on his face. “Are you certain, Your Highness?”

Rosalind stared back at him. “You will find her,” she said, ignoring his question. “And you will bring her to me. Do you understand?”

“Yes, Your Majesty,” Ward replied, giving another sharp bow and signalling for the two soldiers at his side to follow him out of the room.

When the door closed behind him Rosalind turned to her left and spoke to the shadows. “And you, Mr. Bakshi” she said as a man appeared next to her. “You will find and kill every wolf in the kingdom and bring their pelts to me.”

“As you wish, m’lady.” Then he was gone as silently as he’d appeared.

XXXXXXXXXX

Daisy awoke with a start. The fire was embers and the sun was long set. She looked up and could see the stars through the trees. She wondered what had woken her when she heard a howl. Sitting up she peered into the words in the direction the noise had come from. She was just about to lay back down when she saw a shadow in the distance. It was a wolf, a large wolf. Daisy gasped and opened her mouth to call out to Captain May when a hand landed on her shoulder.

“Shhh,” said the voice attached to the hand. “Don’t scream.”

Daisy’s heart was racing but she managed to follow the instructions, looking up into the face of a man in a dark cloak. He was of average height and build and his eyes were bluer than any she had ever seen before. He moved to go past her towards the place where the wolf had been.

“Wait,” Daisy said. “There’s a wolf out there.”

The man smiled a little and squeezed her shoulder briefly. “I know,” he said. Then he was gone into the night and Daisy was left wondering if she was still dreaming.

The next time she woke, the sun was low in the east and Captain May was packing the horse. Daisy ate the apple May threw towards her and they began walking again, the hawk circling above them.

“There was a wolf in the woods last night,” Daisy said after they’d walked a ways.

May was silent.

“There was a man too, I think,” Daisy continued. “But I’m not sure. I may have dreamed that part, or all of it.”

May still said nothing. The hawk flew down and landed on her shoulder and she reached up to stroke its feathers absently. They walked on in silence again. When the sun was high in the sky they stopped briefly to water the horse and eat some bread from May’s pack. When it was beginning to near dusk they stopped again to make camp.

“We’re not taking the direct route back to the castle are we?” Daisy asked, watching as May lit the fire.

“No. The main roads are too dangerous. But we should get there within four or five more days.” May walked to where the packs had been left and wrapped her sword and scabbard in a blanket.

“It’s so heavy,” Daisy commented.

May looked at her curiously.

“The sword. When I lifted it down earlier I almost dropped it. It’s heavier than I expected.”

May ran her hand over the hilt. The hawk flew down from the trees and landed on her shoulder. “It was my father’s,” she said at last. “He gave it to me when the queen knighted me.”

“You were the first woman,” Daisy said. “I remember the nuns tsking about it when I was a child.”

“You’re still a child.”

Daisy rolled her eyes. “Fine, when I was a very small child.” She paused for a moment. “If the queen knighted you, she must have...she must have trusted you.”

“Yes,” was all May said, her mouth a tight line.

“Why did she banish you then? Why put a bounty on your head?”

May stared back at her. “She thought I was like you, little thief. She thought I stole something.”

“Did you?”

“Nothing that was hers.”

Daisy felt like that was probably all she was going to get on that topic. After a moment May walked to the road. “Are you leaving again?”

“Yes. Stay with the fire. We leave early tomorrow. I want to make it to the Hub by the afternoon.”

“We’re going to the Hub?” Daisy asked, slightly surprised. The Hub was a larger village. There were bound to be soldiers there.

“We need to get supplies. I have friends who will hide us. It will be safe.”

“If you say so.” Daisy’s tone was unconvinced and she swore she saw a small smile flash across the unflappable knight’s face. Then the captain was gone into the fading light and Daisy leaned back against a tree, eating some dried meat and staring into the fire.

TBC


	3. The Wolves are Circling

Chapter 3

The sound of a wolf howling woke Daisy for the second night in a row. She bolted upright and tried to catch her breath.

“It’s alright,” came a voice from the other side of the fading fire. “Wolves are misunderstood creatures. You’re in no danger.”

Daisy looked up and into the blue eyes of the man she’d seen the night before. “Who are you?” she demanded.

“A friend,” he replied. “You travel with her, don’t you?”

Daisy swallowed. “With who?” she asked, trying to keep the tremor out of her voice.

The man smiled knowingly and nodded his head. “My name is Phillip,” he said. “What’s yours?”

Still uncertain of the situation, and, if she was truly honest, uncertain once again as to whether the situation was even real, Daisy said nothing.

“I’m not going to hurt you,” Phillip said. “If she trusts you enough to travel with you, then that’s good enough for me.” He tossed another log on the fire and Daisy saw that he wore no shirt under the thick black cloak he’d been wearing the night before. When she looked more closely she realized that it was the same cloak May had been wearing at the inn the day before. Before she had time to process what this information could possibly mean he was speaking again.

“She’s going back isn’t she?” he asked. “She’s taking us back to the castle.”

Daisy nodded.

Phillip sighed and ran a hand through his short spiky hair.

“She thinks I can get her in,” Daisy said quietly.

“Can you?”

She shrugged. “My specialty was getting out of there, not sure about getting in.”

Phillip nodded.

“Did you know her?” Daisy asked. “From before she was banished. Did you know her when she was the captain?”

“I did.”

“What was she like? What was the Cavalry like?”

Phillip’s face darkened. “Don’t call her that.”

Daisy felt suitably chastised. She remembered the way May had responded to the name, she should have known a friend would respond the same way. It was had though. Stories of the queen’s young captain of the guard, the deadly woman who, when she was almost no more than a child herself, had beaten each of the queen’s guard one by one to gain the position, these tales had swirled around the orphanage when she was a child. “I’m sorry,” she said. “But they say she rode into the Battle of Bahrain alone, like a cavalry of men. That she saved the entire village from marauders.”

“She did,” Phillip said. “The stories are true, most of them anyway. But they leave a lot out. Things that...things that aren’t so easily explained. Don’t ever call her the Calvary. You can’t understand what it means to...you can’t understand.”

“Is that why she was banished?” Daisy asked. “Because of what happened?”

Phillip stared into the fire. “No,” he said quietly.

“She told me the queen thought she’d stolen something.”

Phillip’s eyes grew dark, his face hardened. “The queen thinks many things. Very few of them true.” He poked at the fire with a stick for a moment. “You’ll watch out for her?” he asked. “Try to keep her alive?” He was staring at her now with such open vulnerability, sadness, resignation.

Daisy shook her head in confusion, “She doesn’t need my help. Have you ever seen her fight? There’s no way I’d make a difference even if she did need me.”

Phillip finally looked away. “You don’t know her very well.”

“She’s not exactly the chatty sort is she?”

He chuckled at this. “No. She never was.”

Daisy was just about to ask him again who he was and what he was doing there when another howl sounded through the woods. Then the sound of carriage wheels in the distance followed by more howling, this time from what sounded like many wolves. Phillip was on his feet, which Daisy now saw were bare, heading off into the darkness.

“Wait!” she called. “It isn’t safe.”

“I’ll be fine,” Phillip replied, pulling the hood of the cloak over his head. “Goodnight...”

“Daisy,” she finished. “My name is Daisy.”

Phillip gave her another smile. “Goodnight, Daisy.” Then he was gone and Daisy was alone again.

XXXXXXXXXX

Queen Rosalind walked over to the pile of pelts Bakshi had laid before the throne. “Are there any black ones?” she asked, her voice quiet and icy. Bakshi stepped forward and pulled two pelts out of the pile. The queen examined them slowly and then shook her head. “These are not the one.”

“I will go again tonight, Your Majesty. I’ll keep looking until there are no wolves left to find.”

“No,” Rosalind said.

Bakshi looked up at her, “I don’t understand.”

“Don’t look for the wolf. There is a man, who travels by night. A man with blue eyes and a kind face. His name is Phillip. He is born with the darkness and vanishes with the sunrise. Find him, Mr. Bakshi. Find him and you find the wolf.”  
Bakshi bowed his head, collected the pelts and left the room.

Rosalind turned to a priest who was standing at the door. “Any news from Captain Ward?” she asked.

“None, Your Majesty.”

Rosalind slowly ascended the stairs and sat back on the throne.

“I’m sure the Captain will find the Cavalry,” the priest said.

“I have a feeling,” Rosalind replied, “he may not need to.”

“I do not understand, Your Highness.”

“The wolves are circling. We may not need to hunt for something if it is already on its way.”

XXXXXXXXXX

They reached the Hub a few hours after noon the next day. At the edge of the woods May told Daisy to wait with the horse, out of sight. 

“Are you sure?” Daisy asked. She looked up at the massive animal. “I don't think he likes me very much.”

May simply stared at her until Daisy sighed and took the reins. She watched the knight move swiftly and silently to the first house on the edge of the village. May knocked quickly and the door opened revealing a tall woman who seemed shocked, but not unhappy at seeing the former captain. She and May grasped forearms and spoke quietly. Then the woman pointed towards the barn as a man appeared at her side. He and May exchanged nods and then May walked quickly back to where Daisy stood.

“Get to the barn,” May said, taking the reins, the hawk coming down from the trees to perch on her shoulder.

Daisy nodded and moved as quickly and as quietly as she could to the barn, pulling the door open for May and the horse. May led the horse into one of the open stalls, murmuring softly to the animal the entire time. Daisy made herself comfortable against a pile of straw, the combination of this new strange situation she’d found herself in combined with two nights of restless sleep followed by days of walking made her yawn.

“Rest,” May said, as gently as Daisy had heard her speak yet. “We’re safe here.”

It wasn’t that Daisy didn’t believe her. But it was hard to sleep with all the questions going around in her head. “Why are you going back?” Daisy asked.

May studied her for a moment before responding. “There’s someone I need to kill.”

Daisy’s eyes widened but she nodded as though she understood. “I see. Does this walking corpse have a name?”

May’s gaze was unfaltering. “You know the name.”

It took Daisy a moment before realization washed over her. “Let me get this straight. You want me to sneak you into the castle so that you can kill the queen? The queen? Queen Rosalind? Sits on the fancy throne?”

May said nothing.

Daisy fell back against the straw, closing her eyes. She heard May sit across from her. Heard the now almost familiar flutter of wings that signaled the hawk’s landing. “Whatever she did to you,” Daisy said softly, opening her eyes, “is it worth all this?”

“Yes,” May replied, no hesitation discernible in her voice. She raised a hand to pet the hawk, perched on her knee and chewing at its feathers.

“Why do you need my help?”

May continued to absently stroke the hawk’s feathers. “Because there may come a time when I have need of you.”

“And what if it’s all too much?”

“The door is there, little thief. You’ve followed me for days now, no one is making you.”

Daisy sighed but made no move to leave.

“If you’re questioning why you’re here,” May continued, “perhaps that is a question you should be asking yourself. Not me.”

Daisy picked up a few pieces of straw and twined them together between her fingers. If May minded the fidgeting she didn’t let on. “She was going to hang me,” she said at last. “I took some gold and some bread and apples and she wanted me dead. I spent four months in that prison.” She paused and looked up at May who was staring back at her. “I’ll help you.”

May smiled slightly. “I know.”

TBC


	4. Barn Dance

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A little bit of history, a little bit of dancing.

Chapter 4

That night, Daisy smiled when the barn door opened and Phillip slipped inside. May had left a while ago, telling her to stay in the barn until she came back the next day. Daisy had nodded and then waited, knowing that at some point the blue-eyed man would appear.

“Hello,” he said, pulling his cloak tighter, Daisy noticed that he was wearing clothes underneath this time. Her mind flashed for a moment to the bundle that May had carried out of the barn when she left.

“Hello,” she replied. She was about to comment on his clothing when the door to the barn opened again. Daisy and Phillip turned quickly, Phillip putting himself between her and the door.

“It’s alright,” came an accented voice, followed by the man Daisy recognized from earlier in the day. “It’s just me.”

Daisy watched Phillip’s shoulders relax as he moved forward to clasp the man’s arm. “Good to see you again, Hunter.”

The man, Hunter, smiled in return. “And you, Sir.”

“I’m not the Lord Chancellor anymore, Hunter. You don’t have to call me ‘Sir.’”

“I don’t think he’s going to stop,” came another voice. A woman appeared in the doorway, the woman May had been speaking with that afternoon. She was carrying a basket and Daisy could smell fresh bread. Her stomach growled loud enough that everyone turned to look.

“Sorry,” Daisy said.

“It’s alright,” replied the woman. “Here.” She handed Daisy the basket and Daisy quickly pulled out a loaf of still-warm bread. She could see there was also cheese and apples in the basket.

“Thank you,” Daisy said.

“Wait until you try it,” Hunter said, grinning at the woman, who Daisy assumed was his wife. “You might want to retract that thank you.”

The woman elbowed him in the stomach and Phillip laughed, accepting the food Daisy handed him. “How are you Roberta?” he asked. “Keeping Hunter in line?”

“Always,” Roberta replied. “Who’s the kid?”

Daisy swallowed a mouthful of bread and cheese and looked over at the trio standing near the door. “Daisy,” she said.

“She’s helping Melinda,” Phillip explained. Daisy watched as the three shared a look before Hunter and Roberta nodded. Daisy decided whatever the three of them shared, they weren’t going to tell her so she went back to her dinner. When she looked up again, Hunter and Roberta were gone and Phillip was sitting down in the straw across from her. “How are you?” he asked.

“Alright,” Daisy replied.

“You’re quiet tonight. Usually by now you’ve asked me at least four questions. And you barely said anything to our gracious hosts.”

“Um...I...”

“Relax,” Phillip said, “They weren’t offended. You’re more verbose than some.”

Daisy thought of Captain May and couldn’t help but agree. “So ‘Lord Chancellor?’” she asked. “Should I curtsy when I see you from now on?”

Phillip smiled, but Daisy could see sadness behind his eyes. “No need to curtsy,” he replied. “But yes, I was. Another lifetime ago.”

“And that’s how you met her? Captain May?”

“Yes.”

At first, Daisy thought that was the end of the conversation. But after a moment Phillip began speaking again, his gaze on the flickering lantern sat between them. “She was barely more than a child when I first saw her. She’d come to train with the guard. The first woman to do so. I was an assistant to the Lord Chancellor at the time. I was barely more than a child myself. It seems so long ago now.”

Daisy waited for him to continue, knowing that whether he did was going to be up to him. Fortunately he wasn’t quiet for very long.

“The Queen...well she was the Princess at the time, she always took a shine to Melinda. She thought it was so strange and wonderful that a woman could...I think she thought it was an apt metaphor for the fact that her father, the King had made her his heir. When the king died, the Queen made Melinda captain of the guard. The Lord Chancellor died soon after and I was chosen to replace him. Hunter was one of my assistants. Roberta, though you wouldn’t know it to look at her, is probably the best blacksmith in the kingdom. Melinda used to have her make all her weapons.”

“Except for her sword,” Daisy interjected.

Phillip sighed. “Yes except for her sword. That was her father’s.”

For a while, Phillip didn’t speak. Daisy was about to ask him to continue when he beat her to it.

“You know the first time I saw her I thought she was the most beautiful woman I’d ever seen. But then, I saw her on the training grounds and I knew I would never love anyone else. The way she fought, and then how she would smile and laugh with the other soldiers after training. I couldn’t look away.”

Daisy found herself unable to look away from him, her mind’s eye suddenly seeing a young man standing on a parapet, watching soldiers train. She imagined the young female soldier, working to prove herself, glancing up and seeing the young man staring back. She wanted to ask a hundred questions. She wanted to understand why they were going to go to the castle to kill the queen. Why Phillip never travelled with them during the day. Where Captain May went to each night. But it was clear from his face that Phillip was done telling stories. He stared into the lantern, his eyes wet with unshed tears.

“What was it like in the castle?” she asked, “Before the queen I mean. Did you get to eat wonderful food and sleep on real beds and go to balls and everything?”

Phillip looked over at her, for a moment it seemed like he’d forgotten she was there. But then he smiled and leaned back into the straw, slowly chewing the last of the bread and cheese. “The food was very good. Though compared to Roberta’s cooking most food is.”

Daisy laughed. She’d definitely eaten worse in her life. In the dungeon it was a good day when the bread didn’t have maggots or mold. That being said, she could see why Hunter teased his wife about her cooking. The bread had been burned but the cheese and fruit were good. Just as Daisy was about to ask about Hunter and Roberta she heard music in the distance. A fiddle and what sounded like a flute had struck up somewhere in the village. Phillip had obviously heard it too, his head turning towards the door. Daisy remembered vaguely that Hunter had said something about a party in the nearby tavern that night. How most of the village would be there and no one would notice the light on in the barn.

“There were definitely parties,” Phillip continued, as if the music had jostled his memory. “Music and dancing. Melinda she...” he trailed off and looked over at her. “Well she was never much for dancing. I asked every time, she always turned me down.” They fell into silence for a while, Phillip eating the last of his dinner. He wiped his hands on his pants and stood up, holding his hand out to Daisy.

“Will you turn me down too?” he said, his eyes beaming in the lantern-light.

Daisy shook her head. “I don’t know how. At the orphanage, they never...I never learned.”

“Come on,” Phillip said, reaching down to take her hand. “I’ll show you.”

Daisy shook her head again but didn’t fight it when he pulled her up. He placed her left hand on his shoulder and let his own hand come to rest gently at her waist. As he slowly led her around the small floor of the barn, Daisy felt a lump form in her throat. The kindness in his eyes, the way he took slow steps at first, showing her how to follow his lead, she wondered if this was what it was like to have a father. To have someone to show you how to be in the world. Someone who was patient and gentle.

Before she could dwell on it for too long, however, the faraway music picked up into a quick jig. Phillip grinned at her, his eyes sparkling with mischief. “Wait,” Daisy said. But it was too late, he began leading her around with quick steps, making his movements as exaggerated as possible. Daisy laughed and just tried to keep her feet underneath her. She laughed and laughed and didn’t even notice that they were careening towards the door.

The barn door flew open and Daisy found herself face to face with a wolf. She fell backwards into the side of the barn, unable to even scream in fright. It was just as well, because the guttural, heart-wrenching sound that came from Phillip was terrible enough. Daisy couldn’t understand, after being so calm at the prospect of wolves the last two nights, why would a wolf frighten him so. Then her eyes adjusted to the relative darkness and she realized what was happening.

It was a wolf pelt. Resting on top of what seemed to be dozens of others on the back of a cart. A man wearing another pelt came around the cart and Phillip lunged towards him. Daisy caught him around the waist and pulled him back into the barn as she watched the wolf hunter laugh and continue his trek down the road towards the center of the village.

Phillip was shaking as he stumbled around the barn. Daisy’s mind was racing, unable to understand what was happening or what she should do next. Before she could come up with any kind of plan, Phillip had shrugged his cloak on and was heading towards the door.

“Wait,” Daisy said. “You can’t go after him.”

“I’m not,” Phillip replied. “Stay here. If Mel...if Captain May isn’t back in the morning, go to Hunter and Roberta. They’ll help you.”

“Phillip...please.”

He squeezed her shoulder and before she could get another word out, he was gone.

TBC


	5. The Hawk

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A short chapter in which a horrible thing happens, and Daisy discovers a secret.

Chapter 5

She’s not sure how she ever managed to fall asleep but the next thing she knew, Daisy was being awoken by someone shaking her shoulder. She bolted upright and looked around, expecting to see Phillip. Instead, she saw Captain May standing over her, the hawk calm on the captain’s shoulder.

Daisy jumped to her feet, “Phillip,” she said, “he...”

“He’s fine,” May said. Her voice steady, her hand on Daisy’s shoulder. “He’s fine. But we have to move. And we can’t keep going on this road.”

“There was a man last night,” Daisy told her. “He had wolf pelts.”

“I know,” May said. “Hunter told me. That’s why we have to go. He’ll be headed back to the castle to report what he saw. We need to find another road.”

“We can go west,” Daisy said. “Towards the mountains. Then cut through the pass to get back to the castle.”

May nodded. “Get your things.”

They took their leave of Hunter and Roberta then began to walk back the way they’d come the day before. By midday the woods were thinning, signaling that they were nearing the mountains. May was quiet, but that wasn’t unusual. It was harder to bear that day for Daisy though. She now knew more than she ever had about May and the mysterious man who obviously loved her. But she wanted to know more. She wanted to know where Phillip went during the day, and what wolves had to do with their mission. She wanted to ask May about the young assistant to the Lord Chancellor who became Chancellor himself. She wanted to know why May had never agreed to dance with him, and if she loved him back just as much. But Daisy knew those questions would likely yield no new information. She was afraid if she pestered too much, May would tell Phillip not to say anything anymore. Daisy would have to wait until dark, and hope Phillip appeared as he had before.

A few hours before nightfall, they came into a clearing and Captain May stopped walking abruptly.

“What...”

“Hush!” May said sternly before Daisy could ask what was happening.

Daisy quieted immediately. May’s voice wasn’t angry, it was scared. And the mere thought of this woman being scared was enough to keep Daisy silent. A moment passed. Then another. Then Daisy heard it. The sound of horses, at least three, coming towards them. She heard the clatter of weapons knocking against the saddles and the sound of chain mail shaking. May pointed to a tree. “Get in the tree. Stay there. Make no noise.”

Daisy obeyed without hesitation, climbing up into the tree as high as she could, willing her breath to steady. After a moment she heard a flutter and realized that May’s hawk had landed on a branch just above her head. On the ground May had mounted her horse and drawn both her sword and crossbow. The hoofbeats got closer and closer until five horses exploded into the clearing. May shot one through the neck almost immediately. The unfortunate first victim fell from his mount and horse cantered off back the way they’d come. The other four soldiers seemed slightly shaken by the early loss but recovered quickly.

From the tree Daisy watched the fight unfold. If she’d thought May had been impressive that day at the Inn, it was nothing compared to what she was witnessing now. In almost no time at all, there was only one soldier still on their horse, the rest were lying in various states on the ground. May and the final soldier circled each other, swords drawn. Then, unseen by the former captain, one of the soldiers on the ground lifted himself to his knees and drew his sword above his head, no more than ten feet from where May’s horse stood.

Before Daisy could call out to warn her, the hawk had swooped down and flown into the sneaking soldier’s face. He cried out and was silenced by May’s sword. Daisy saw May turn back to the final mounted soldier but before anyone knew what had happened, the soldier had drawn his crossbow and let an arrow fly into the sky. Daisy thought he must have shot early by accident but then she heard the screech and her stomach dropped. She barely noticed May dispatch of the final soldier with a sword through his stomach. She was scrambling down the tree and running to where the hawk had fallen, an arrow in its breast, but still breathing. May kneeled at her side and it was the first time Daisy had ever seen a frantic look on her face. May picked up the animal and wrapped it quickly in a small blanket.

“Get on the horse,” she ordered.

“What?” Daisy said.

“Get on the horse and take the hawk.”

“But there’s no way it’ll survive.”

“NO!” cried May. “You must! You...there is a church at the mouth of the mountain pass. Take the horse. There is a priest there who can help. You are smaller than me, you’ll ride faster.”

“But...I can’t. You’re a better rider than I am. It’ll be dark in a few hours.”

“I know it’ll be dark! Now get on the horse and go!”

Daisy finally obeyed, mounting the giant animal as quickly as she could then turning back to May. May handed the hawk up to her, Daisy could see its chest rising and falling rapidly, its eyes searching hers as though it could read her thoughts.

“Ride swift, little thief,” May said. Then she smacked the horse’s haunches and Daisy was off. She rode hard, the mountain getting nearer and nearer. Every so often she would glance down at the bird nestled against her chest, and each time its eyes were wide open staring back at her.

When the sun was only a hand or two above the mountains Daisy saw a building appear with a cross on the steeple. Behind it she could see the pass winding into the mountains, disappearing into the snow. She slowed the horse and trotted up towards the church.

The structure looked like it was carved from the side of the mountain itself. There was wood around the doors and up into the steeple but the majority of the building was stone. Two bridges led to the door, over a giant chasm in the mountain. The bridge on the left looked like it had been attacked with an axe, pieces of the planks were missing and cracked. The bridge on the right seemed okay but Daisy decided it was probably best to announce herself.

“Hello!” she called out. “Hello is anyone there?!”

The door opened and a man appeared. “What do you want?” he called. Daisy could see that he wore a monk’s robe but what she noticed the most was the fact that one of his eyes was covered by a black eyepatch.

“I have an injured hawk,” she called back. “I was told you could help.”

“And why would you think I could help? Do I look like a farrier to you?”

“Please,” Daisy said. “Captain May said you could save it.”

The man looked as though he’d seen a ghost. “Captain May? That’s her hawk.”

“Yes, Sir. Please can you help?”

“Come up here quickly,” the priest replied. “And stay on the left bridge!”

XXXXXXXXXX

Daisy sat on a pew in the empty nave. A fire burned in a large pit in the center. She wondered how long it had been since anyone else had sat there, since a service had been held in that place. She looked up through the hole that had been cut out in the roof to allow the smoke to exit. She could see the stars. The sun had set at least an hour before. There had been no sign of May.

As soon as she’d reached the strange priest, Nicholas he’d called himself, the man had whisked away the hawk in his arms. Telling her to light a fire and wait. Hours later there had been no word. She had seen a few silent monks scurry about but other than that, it was quiet. Now, however, the hard ride to the church combined with the late hour was making Daisy both tired and hungry. She knew if she stayed sitting there, she would fall asleep and that wasn’t what she wanted. So she rose, rather stiffly, unaccustomed as she was to riding a horse, and walked up towards the chapel where she had seen Nicholas take the hawk and where all the monks seemed to disappear to.

She walked down a narrow hall and began to hear noises. She was expecting to hear the now familiar screech and caws of the hawk. But these sounds were different. These were short gasps and muted groans. A monk holding a bowl of water came out of a side room, Daisy quickly fell back into a small alcove but the monk seemed so focused on his destination she doubted he would have noticed her even if she hadn’t bothered to hide. Once his footsteps were far enough away Daisy crept to the door he’d come out of.

The door was open very slightly and through the crack Daisy could see a fire burning, she saw Nicholas leaning down over a makeshift bed. There was someone in the bed, but Daisy couldn’t see who it was. She pushed the door open a little more and felt her stomach leap into her throat.

Phillip was lying on the bed. A blanket covered the lower half of his body but his chest was bare and Daisy could see the arrow sticking out of his sternum, just to the left of his heart. His face and chest were covered with sweat and she could see the tears running from his eyes. Nicholas had one hand on the arrow, the other was holding Phillip’s right hand. Daisy could see that both of their knuckles had gone pale with the exertion.

“Please, Nick,” Phillip gasped.

Nicholas nodded and Daisy watched as Phillip closed his eyes, bracing himself. With a swift, furious jerk, Nicholas pulled the arrow free. Phillip cried out as Nicholas held a cloth tightly against the wound. Daisy gasped, realizing for the first time that she was crying. The sound caused both men to turn towards her. Phillip’s eyes met hers for a moment before she quickly shut the door and ran back to the nave.

TBC


	6. Always Together

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Daisy learns the whole story, and a bit of hope is found.

Chapter 6  
It seemed like hours Daisy waited. Only moving to feed the fire when it began to burn low. So much now made sense. If she was honest with herself, she’d suspected some sort of magic from the first time she’d seen Phillip. From the first night May left before sundown, only for him to appear. But now, she’d had seen it. Seen the arrow in the hawk’s breast. Seen that same arrow piercing Phillip’s chest. For a moment she wished she’d never gone to that Inn. Wished she’d never met Captain May. But then she remembered the way May would smile softly when she called her ‘little thief.’ She remembered how Phillip had laughed when they danced. The way he’d looked when he spoke of the young soldier he’d watched in the training yard. Daisy couldn’t regret it. Even if this quest led her back to the gallows she’d worked so hard to escape. She couldn’t regret knowing them.

The sound of footsteps interrupted her thoughts. She looked up to see Nicholas walk into the room, sitting down across from her. “Is he alright?” she asked.

“He’ll live,” the priest replied, tossing a log onto the fire, the sparks flying up and out into the night. “Carry the scar the rest of his life no doubt, but he’ll live.”

Daisy let the information settle her stomach. A part of her wanted to go see for herself, see that he was alright. But that need was far outweighed by the need for and explanation. “Who are you?” she asked, her voice brokering no argument. “Who are you to them?”

The priest gave a humorless chuckle. “A friend,” he said. “Or at least I was.”

Daisy didn’t respond. She was tired of asking questions and getting half answers. She stared at the priest, refusing to back down. He stared back for a while then she saw his shoulders slump in resignation.

“You’re too young to remember but when the old king declared that he would name his only daughter his heir to the throne, a lot of people were skeptical. You were probably a small child when she was crowned?”

Daisy nodded. “I was only eleven.”

“There was talk of a revolt,” Nicholas continued. “People underestimated how ruthless the Queen could be. She protected herself, not only with people like Captain May and Phillip who were exceptional at what they did, but with others. People with power and darkness.”

“In the prison,” Daisy said, shivering at the memory, “there were people whose minds had gone. Who would babble all night. They said that when you were captured the Queen could make your insides boil. That she had priests who could make your mind twist.”

“Yes,” Nicholas replied. “The Hydra priests. Some say they made a deal with the devil for their powers. I don’t know for sure, but I do know that the Queen’s detractors were handled swiftly. All talk of rebellion was quashed.”

“Did they fight against her?” Daisy asked. “Is that why...”

“No. I don’t think they knew about the magic or the darkness. Phillip, he was so grateful for the chance the old king had given him. A commoner whose parents had died young. He worked so hard and he just wanted to help the kingdom run smoothly. And May, she was never involved with the Hydra priests. The first female captain of the guard, and the youngest on top of that. She just wanted to serve the kingdom.”

“Captain May told me the queen thought she’d stolen something.”

Nicholas laughed. “I suppose she would think that. You see, when the old Lord Chancellor died and Phillip replaced him, it was probably the first time the Queen had ever really seen him or spoken with him. Kings and Queens don’t deal with assistants. She was obsessed. From the very first moment she saw him. It went on for a few years. Eventually she made him an offer. She’d marry him, make him consort. It was more wealth and power than he’d ever known.”

“He turned her down,” Daisy concluded.

“His heart was already lost, you see. To the Captain of the Guard.”

“May,” Daisy whispered, remembering the way Phillip had spoken of her in the barn. Had that only been the night before? It seemed like months ago.

“He gave the Queen some other reason for his refusal and it seemed as though that would be the end of it.”

“He couldn’t tell her the truth?”

“May was already in enough danger. It’s forbidden for soldiers of the Queen to marry or have attachments. It’s seen as a weakness. They kept their love a secret for almost a decade, before May was even made Captain. If anyone had found out...”

Daisy nodded in understanding. “So what happened?”

Nicholas grew quiet, tossing another log onto the fire. “Phillip and the Captain shared the same confessor. One day, that priest got drunk and confessed the affair to his own superior. Bishop Garrett, it turned out, was a Hydra priest and wasted no time relaying the information to the Queen.”

Daisy searched his face, the way his eye would no longer meet her gaze. “It was you? You betrayed them?” Nicholas didn’t have to answer. The truth was plain on his face.  
“When the Queen found out she was furious. She called the two of them before the entire court and demanded they end their affair. They refused. Told her they would leave the kingdom before they gave each other up. The Queen ordered the guard to take them both into custody, ordered that May be brought to the dungeon and that Phillip be brought to her chambers. May drew her sword but she needn't have bothered.”

“What happened?” Daisy asked. 

“None of the guard moved. They were loyal to May. She and Phillip fled the castle. They thought they were safe, but as soon as they reached the edge of the kingdom...”

Daisy's eyes widened. “She cursed them.”

“Her priests did. Probably Bishop Garrett himself. All the guards who refused the order found themselves mad, locked in the dungeon. Replaced by men loyal to the Queen and her Hydra priests. But he saved the worst for them. You see, during the day, Phillip is the hawk and as the sun sets May becomes the wolf. The curse can only be broken when the Queen lays eyes on them both together in their human form. She had her revenge.”

“Always together,” Daisy whispered.

“Ever apart,” Nicholas finished. “And every day at sunrise and sunset,when the sun sits even on the horizon there is a brief moment when they can almost touch. But no. The curse is too powerful.”

“And there is no way to break it?”

Nicholas sighed. 

“What? Have you found a way?”

“It's likely nonsense and even if it wasn't, May is bent on her mission. And she's never forgiven me, even if Phillip perhaps has.”

“What is the way?”

“Several months ago a Hydra priest wandered off the mountain pass. He'd obviously gotten lost and tried to seek shelter here. I believe the weight of what he had traded for his power had finally gotten to him. He recognized me, said he had information for me.

“He told me,” Nicholas continued, “that on the 12th day of the 12th month halfway between the sunrise and sunset there would be a night without a day, a day without a night. And in that moment, the curse could be broken. They could stand before the Queen and she could look upon them both as human and forever would it be so.”

“That's just a week from now,” Daisy said. 

“I know.”

“May will be here in the morning. You have to tell her. You have to tell them. May is going to kill the queen. If she does that there's no chance of the curse ever being broken.”

Nicholas nodded. “I can try. But there's likely no use.”

Daisy wanted to argue but even after only a few days she knew how stubborn the Captain could be. 

“Can I see him?” she asked after a few minutes. 

“Go,” Nicholas said, tilting his head towards the door in the back of the chapel. 

Daisy stood and then paused. “You have to tell them. You owe them that much.”

“That and so much more,” Nicholas said, not looking up. 

XXXXXXXXXX 

“So, you found the man?” the Queen asked.

“Yes your Majesty,” Bakshi replied. 

“I have reports as well,” Captain Ward interjected. “Captain May fought with some of my men and then headed toward the mountain pass.”

The Queen nodded and then dismissed them both with a wave of her hand. “I hear rumors,” the Queen said to the seemingly empty room.

“Rumors? Your Majesty?” The man stepped out of the shadows and walked towards the throne.

“That your curse is not as unbreakable as you led me to believe, Bishop.”

“You’ve heard the ramblings of Father Raina have you?”

“They say he found a way to break it. A moment in time when they may be human together.”

“Father Raina went insane Your Highness. He ran from the order and has been dealt with. His belief that the curse may be broken was simply a product of his madness.”

“They had better be, Bishop Garrett. Because Captain May is on her way here. And there had better not be any unforseen...complications.”  
Bishop Garrett bowed and left as silently as he'd appeared. 

XXXXXXXXXX

This time, when Daisy opened the door to the small room, the fire had burned down to embers and Phillip’s eyes were closed. His chest was wrapped in a white cloth and Daisy was happy to see that no blood was coming through. Hopefully that meant the bleeding had stopped. 

As quietly as she could she placed a few more logs on the fire. Then she sat down on the floor next to the narrow bed. 

“Hello Daisy.”

Daisy looked up. Phillip’s eyes were still closed but his mouth had turned into a small smile. 

“I understand I have you to thank for being alive.”

“No,” Daisy said, “Nicholas did everything. I just sat outside.”

“You got me here,” Phillip argued. “No small feat.”

They fell into silence, Phillip’s breathing was slightly labored.

“Nicholas told you everything didn't he?” he asked at last. 

“Yes.”

“Strange mess you've stumbled into isn't it?”

Daisy laughed but then fell serious. “He says he might know how to break the curse.”

Phillip sighed. “Nicholas always thinks he's a step ahead of everyone.”

“He says a Hydra priest told him. A night without a day. A day without a night.”

“It's a dream, Daisy. The curse can't be broken.”

“But...”

“Four years, four years we've lived like this. Do you have any idea what it's like to live with a part of yourself missing? To have your heart and mind torn in half?”

Daisy looked away. “No.”

“It's too much.”

There was nothing Daisy could say to that. She saw that Phillip had fallen back asleep. She rested her head against the side of the bed and let herself follow.

TBC


	7. Ever Apart

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Some more backstory as Daisy grows closer to May and Phillip

Chapter 7

When she woke the next morning Daisy felt something strange on her shoulder. She raised her head off the bed and saw the hawk perched on her shoulder, its talons holding on through her shirt, firm but not painful. “Hello,” she said, stroking the bird's feathers. “You seem to be better.” She could see the wound on the animal but it looked like it was healing. 

The bird nipped at her fingers and then flew out of the room. Daisy followed and found May standing with Nicholas beside the embers of the nave fireplace. The hawk came to rest on May's shoulder. May reached up to inspect the area where the arrow had been. Then she turned back to Nicholas. “Thank you,” she said. “I owe you a debt.”

“You owe me nothing,” Nicholas replied. “It's a small drop in the bucket of what I owe you. But if you would just listen to me then I could erase the entire debt.”

Daisy saw May's face harden. “I am calm right now with you Nicholas. But wild claims of false hope may threaten to undo that calm.”

“Melinda...”

“Don't!” she said. “I've had enough of curses and prophecies and Hydra priests who speak one thing and mean another.. You've done enough already Nicholas.” She ran her hand over the head of the hawk. “Don't you think you've done enough?”

Daisy watched as Nicholas deflated. She was afraid that guilt might be too powerful to force the priest to act.

May looked up at Daisy. “Come, little thief. Get the horse.”

Daisy moved to follow the instruction, pausing to catch Nicholas’s eye briefly. Nicholas shrugged and Daisy nodded in return. If May noticed, she didn't let on.

XXXXXXXXXX

Luckily for Daisy, Nicholas had been able to give her a warm cloak and heavy boots before they set off through the pass. Daisy was grateful as the pass was covered in nearly half a foot of snow. 

“I owe you thanks, little thief,” May said when they’d stopped for lunch around midday, the hawk coming to perch on her knee. “You saved his life by getting him to Nicholas.”

It was the first time she had acknowledged the fact that Daisy now knew her secret. Daisy nodded but said nothing in reply, taking a bite of the dried meat May had given her.

“You’ve been quiet today.”

“I’m always quiet, you don’t like it when I talk too much.”

“Yes but I can always hear you thinking, and sometimes talking to yourself. Today your mind is occupied and you’ve said barely a word.”

Daisy shifted some snow around with her boot, then her eyes landed on the hawk who seemed to be staring back at her. “It’ll take us nearly a week to get to the castle through the pass,” she said.

“It will,” May agreed.

“The 12th of December is a week away.”

May’s hand went to the hilt of her sword, clenching and unclenching around the metal.

“What’s the harm in seeing?” Daisy asked. “If it doesn’t work, you can go ahead with your plan and kill the queen anyway.”

“Did you think it was my plan to enter the castle at noon? In broad daylight? Ride against her mind controlled guards and Hydra priests? Because if so, I understand how you ended up in the dungeon. If that had been my plan, why would I need you to sneak me in past the gate?”

“But if there's a chance...”

“It's a fantasy, Daisy. It's Nicholas’s attempt to absolve his guilt. A night without a day? Father Raina was mad. The Queen may have even sent him to try and lure us into the open.”

Daisy swallowed. It was a possibility. But then she thought of May's face when the arrow had pierced the hawk. She remembered Phillip’s words, about missing half of himself. If there was any chance at all, how could it not be worth it. She said nothing else, after a while May rose and they continued on.

They moved slowly but by late afternoon they had made some progress towards the castle. They made camp and lit a fire. May left a pile of clothing out, Daisy knew without instruction that they were for Phillip. 

“Will you be alright?” May asked, glancing to the setting sun.

“Yes, will you?”

May picked up the pile of clothes and began to walk towards a small grove of trees a little ways away. Then she paused and looked back over her shoulder. “Did you know that wolves and hawks mate for life? The Queen didn’t even leave us that. Not even that.”

Then she was gone. Daisy watched, hoping to see the transformation, but she was still a human as she reached the trees. 

XXXXXXXXXX

The next days passed without much variation. They were getting ever closer to the castle, During the day Daisy and May walked and discussed a plan for sneaking into the castle. The plan was to make camp in the woods nearby and then go in at first light, as soon as May had rejoined her in the morning.

May was also teaching her some basic sword skills. But when Daisy talked about what they might do after the Queen was dead, May would look away and change the subject. On the third day after leaving Nicholas, Daisy got up the courage to flat out ask if she could stay with them afterwards, go wherever they went. She promised to help and not cause trouble.

May placed a hand on Daisy’s shoulder. “It would be better for you to leave, little thief. Once you’ve helped me get into the castle, you should run as far and as fast as you can. You can go back to the Hub if you want. Hunter and Roberta will help you. You could learn to shoe horses and make tools.”

“What about you and Phillip?” Daisy asked. But she received no answer. 

That night, Daisy thought about the conversation, trying to figure out a way to convince May to keep her around. She thought Phillip might be the best way to go. She knew they communicated somehow, because Phillip had taken to calling her little thief, something Daisy had never told him about. These nights on the mountain pass they would sit together beside the fire and Phillip would tell her stories about his life before the curse. He’d tell her about being orphaned, not as young as she’d been but young enough. About coming to the castle. All the things he’d seen and learned as Lord Chancellor. 

But that night, Daisy finally asked him about May, who sometimes appeared on the periphery of his stories but was rarely a topic of conversation.

“What do you want to know?” he asked.

“How long did you know her before you...you know?”

“I met her when she was just a few years older than you are,” he replied. “We spent more than two years as nothing but friends. She wasn’t supposed to have...attachments. It’s not allowed for the guard.”

“Nicholas told me that.”

Phillip nodded. “It was difficult. And eventually, it became too difficult. On my twenty fourth birthday she came to me and told me that if I asked her to, she would leave the guard. She said she would be happy to be Roberta’s assistant and never wield a sword again if it meant that we could be together. I told her that was nonsense. And that I’d never ask it of her. So we agreed to keep it a secret.”

“That must have been tricky.”

Phillip chuckled. “It was sometimes. But Melinda, she...”

“She would never give anything away,” Daisy finished. “No one would suspect her.”

“Right. And if anyone suspected on my end, they just suspected an unrequited love for an unobtainable person. The only ones who knew were Nicholas, Hunter, and Roberta.”

“And you kept it hidden for years?”

“Yes. I was twenty-nine when the king died. And we managed for another two years after that until...”

“Until Nicholas revealed you four years ago?”

Phillip nodded. “Four years and you know what I think about every day?”

Daisy shook her head.

“Every day I think about how stupid I was that day on my birthday. I should have asked her to leave. I should have run away with her. Every day for nine years I should have run away with her. Somewhere where no one knew us. She offered me the whole world but all I could think about was how beautiful she was when she fought, how happy it made her. Now look at what happened.”

There was nothing Daisy could say to that. It was pointless to tell him that he’d done the right thing, the selfless thing at the time. Instead she simply asked, “Were you happy? All those years before...before the Queen?”

There was no hesitation in his response. “Yes,” he breathed. “When we were together, when she would look at me and smile and laugh, I was so happy. Some days she would come to my rooms after a raid or even just after training and I would have to patch her up. She never showed any weakness outside our rooms but inside...she would let me take care of her. And she took care of me. After the Battle of Bahrain...” His eyes grew dark.

“You don’t have to tell me,” Daisy said.

“And I won’t tell you, not everything. She was so broken after that day. I was afraid that she wouldn’t let me help, that we wouldn’t survive. She avoided me for a long time. She avoided everyone, including herself. But then she came to my room one night, a few weeks after it happened. She didn’t say anything, just walked up to me and put her head against my chest and cried. It was the first time I’d ever seen her cry. I knew she’d be alright after that. I knew we’d both be alright, as long as we were together.”

"As long as you were together," Daisy repeated. The fact that they were never together anymore hung between them, it didn't need to be said.

TBC

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So yeah, the story is going to get a little dark for a couple chapters but I promise there's light at the end of the tunnel. Keep an eye on the tags for any possible trigger warnings. Thanks for sticking with me and thanks to everyone who has taken the time to leave a comment. I really appreciate them.


	8. For One Brief Moment

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A plan is formed, a plan fails.

Chapter 8

The sun had set on the the fourth night after they left the church. They were camped at the base of the mountain next to a frozen lake. In the distance, Daisy could see the tops of the castle towers. They were only an hour or so away. Daisy was nervous being so close but May had assured her that the guards thought this place was haunted and were unlikely to pay them a visit. May had said they would go to the castle at first light.

Phillip hadn't arrived that night so Daisy was listening for footsteps. But instead she heard hoofbeats and the sound of a wagon. Her heart began to pound and her mind raced as she tried to come up with a believable explanation as to why she was there. She stood and went over to the horse, drawing May's sword. It was almost to heavy for her to really lift but she raised it towards dark where the hoofbeats were slowing. 

“Are you there, Daisy?”

Daisy lowered the sword. “Nicholas?”

The priest pulled his wagon up next to the camp. He tied his horse to the stake next to May's horse and then moved to sit by the fire.

“What are you doing here?” Daisy asked.

“I’ve been following you for a couple days. Thought I’d try to see if I can talk some sense into these fools. And if not, trying to see if I can help.”

“Trying to alleviate his guilt.”

Daisy and Nicholas looked up as Phillip sat down. He took the food Daisy offered with a small smile and then looked back at his former priest.

“It's not about my guilt Phil. This could be a real chance.”

“Because a half-crazed former Hydra priest told you so?”

“He was the one trying to alleviate guilt,” Nicholas argued. “He saw what the queen had become. What he had sold in exchange for the Hydra powers. He told me so I could try and help you. He didn't know I had no idea where you were. It's not an accident you showed up when you did.”

“Oh it was god's will that I was shot? Why would you do this? It's stupid. Stupid and cruel. And stupid. You should have let me die Nicholas. Then let Melinda finish what she started.”

“Don't say that,” Daisy said softly. 

“I'm sorry,” Phillip said, running a hand over his face.

“You're her life, Phillip,” Daisy said. “She wants to kill the queen but what then? You said four years was too much. If the queen is dead, then there's no chance. It's the rest of your life.”

“Which I’m guessing neither of you is planning to last very long, right?” Nicholas asked.

The weight of Nicholas’s accusation hit Daisy straight in the chest. She looked at Phillip, hoping to see denial in his eyes but she saw only sadness. “She leaves me letters inside the cloak,” Phillip said. “I leave mine in her saddlebags. It’s what we want Nick. We can’t keep living like this. And I don’t think even god himself would have the right to damn us for it.”

“You can’t,” Daisy whispered.

“Daisy...” Phillip said, reaching out to wipe a tear from her cheek.

“You can’t do this. You can’t leave me alone again. Not without even trying.”

“We can’t keep living half lives, Daisy.”

“Remember what you said last night? That you wished you’d have asked her to leave. That you should have run away with her? This is a chance. This is a chance to have that life. All we have to do is get inside the castle and wait to see what happens at noon. If nothing happens, we haven’t lost anything.”

“How do you suggest we even get near the Queen?”

“Captain May can do it. You've seen her. You think she can't beat those guards? Especially with the element of surprise?”

She could see the hesitation on Phillip’s face. Could see the warring parts of his mind. “You believe in her, don't you?”

“She saved my life. I've seen her take down five of these mind controlled soldiers and barely break a sweat.”

“If we get her inside,” Nicholas said, “she'll get to the queen. All we need is to wait until noon to do make ourselves known.”

“We’d have to go in at night,” Phillip said. “We’d have to get her inside when she’s...”

“Does she come to you?” Daisy asked. “When she is a wolf will she know you? The way you know her in the day?”

Phillip nodded. “She doesn’t remember herself. I don’t remember the day either but...she knows me.”

Nicholas leaned forward. “A chance Phil. If you and she are dead anyway, why not take one last chance?”

Phillip’s head fell forward, his chin against his chest. “Okay,” he said.

“The 12th is the day after tomorrow,” Nicholas said. “Daisy, where did she go tonight?”

Daisy pointed across the frozen lake to the trees that lay beyond it.

“Okay,” Nicholas said, he stood up and took a shovel from his wagon. “We’ve got about nine hours before the sun rises. We’ll dig a hole and cover it with a cloak, draw her out and into the the hole. Then we’ll be able to tie her up and get her into the wagon.”

Phillip took the shovel. “And how exactly do you plan on getting us into the castle?”

“Getting us in will be the easy part,” he said with a smile that Daisy didn’t exactly find reassuring.

XXXXXXXXXX

Hours later Daisy kicked snow onto the fire, making sure no flame came from the embers. Then when she was safely huddled beside Nicholas beneath the wagon she looked over at Phillip who stood at the edge of the frozen lake. The moon was bright enough to see the apprehension on his face. She waved at him, signalling they were ready. 

Phillip looked out over the lake towards the trees on the other side. Then he raised a hand to his mouth and gave three sharp whistles. At first, nothing happened. But then Daisy saw some movement in the trees before a dark shape appeared. Phillip took a few steps out onto the lake. The dark shape that Daisy could now see was a wolf, began to move towards him, cautiously, as though it knew something was afoot. Phillip whistled again and the wolf began to move more quickly, the moonlight reflecting off its deep black fur.

All of a sudden Daisy heard a loud crack. The wolf began to run towards Phillip, obviously startled by the noise. Phillip called out for it to stop but all at once Daisy heard another crack and the animal disappeared beneath the ice. Phillip cried out and Daisy was reminded of the sound May had made when the hawk had been struck by the arrow. The sound of a soul being shattered. Without thinking, she scrambled out from under the wagon and ran towards the lake, grabbing May’s sword and a length of rope from May’s pack on her way.

“Stay back!” she called to Phillip who was starting to run towards the middle of the lake. “I’m smaller, stay back!” She ran as quickly as she could, trying to keep her feet off the ice as much as possible. When she got close enough to where the wolf was struggling to stay above water that the rope would reach, she heaved the sword as deeply as she could through the ice and dropped to her stomach. Tying the rope to the hilt of the sword she took the other end and crawled as quickly and carefully as possible towards the frantic animal.

“It’s alright,” she said as calmly as she could manage. As she reached out and tried to loop the rope around the wolf’s neck, Daisy felt herself falling.

The freezing water nearly stopped her heart. She felt the wolf’s claws ripping at her skin, felt her arms and legs begin to go numb. Reaching down she put her hand behind the wolf’s hind legs and pushed with all the strength she could muster. The animal scrambled onto the ice and ran towards Phillip. Daisy reached blindly for the rope, knowing she had only moments before it was all over. Then she felt the rope begin to move and a hand grabbed her wrist. She looked up to see Nicholas, and then everything went dark.

XXXXXXXXXX

When Daisy awoke she was lying next to the fire, wrapped in both a cloak and a fur blanket. She blinked a few times to clear her vision and saw Nicholas asleep sitting up on the other side of the fire. The sky was grey, the sun hadn’t yet broken over the horizon. She wiggled her fingers and toes, happy to find that everything seemed to be working and slightly mortified to realize that either Phillip or Nicholas or both had stripped her out of her wet clothing and put her in a dry shirt and pants. It couldn’t be helped, Daisy knew. And in the end, she was happy to be alive. She peered into her shirt and winced at the long gashes across her chest. They were tender and throbbed with her heartbeat but they looked clean and were no longer bleeding.

Rising slowly she looked around, wondering if Phillip was still nearby. After a moment she saw them. Phillip was sitting in the hole they’d dug to trap the wolf. He’d put a blanket on the ground and was wrapped in his cloak. Lying next to him was the wolf. He was awake, and he was stroking the animal’s fur with the same wistfulness Daisy had often seen May pet the hawk. The wolf was lying against the other side of the hole, its eyes wide, staring at Phillip. It was so beautiful and so sad and Daisy couldn’t find the power to look away.

Then, a beam of light appeared on the horizon. Daisy watched as the light touched the wolf’s fur, Phillip still in the darkness, hidden by the side of the shallow pit. The light reflected off the wolf’s black fur and then, to Daisy’s amazement, a golden light appeared, crackling around the place where sunlight met the wolf’s body. As the sun rose higher in the sky Daisy watched as the wolf was enveloped in golden light until there was no wolf and May was suddenly there.

For one moment, Phillip still hidden from the light by the edge of the ground, they looked at each other. May reached out with her hand, still glowing golden. Tears ran down Daisy’s cheeks. But when Phillip reached out his hand and the sunlight streamed between his fingers it was over. There was a caw and a flapping of wings and he was gone, flown away into the morning sky. May let out a cry of anguish, pounding on the ground. Daisy felt Nicholas’s hand on her shoulder and the two of them turned away.

TBC


	9. Last and Best Reason for Living

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the delay. Into the home stretch now.

Chapter 9

“Where is my sword?”

Daisy looked over at May, then turned back to her work packing. The captain had been in a horrible mood all morning. After finding Nicholas with them and guessing at the reason for his arrival she’d refused to speak to the priest, and only spoke to Daisy to bark orders.

“Where is my sword?” May asked again, more forcibly this time.

“It’s gone,” Daisy replied.

“What do you mean it’s gone?” May stalked over to where Daisy stood next to the wagon.

“It fell through the ice,” Daisy said, refusing to back away. “Last night, crossing the river.”

“Dammit!”

Daisy flinched. She saw Nicholas come around the wagon but still she refused to stand down.

“That sword was the last bit of honor I possessed,” May said, her voice low and dangerous.

“Honor?” Daisy said. “There’s no honor in this. There’s no mission of honor anymore. Get a piece of revenge and then kill yourselves? There’s no honor in that. That sword is just a symbol for your meaningless death!”

For a moment May seemed shocked at the brashness with which Daisy spoke. Daisy took advantage of her stunned silence.

“But there’s a chance for life now,” she said softly. “A life with him.”

“Listen to her, Melinda,” Nicholas pleaded.

May’s eyes darkened and she turned back towards her horse. “I needed that sword to kill the queen.”

“Yeah well go ahead,” Daisy called after her. “Kill the queen, kill yourself and then kill him too! He loves you more than life, Captain. He’s had to. But you? You never loved him as much as you loved yourself and your honor!”

May whirled around, grabbing Daisy by the shirt and shoving her back against the wagon, Daisy cried out in pain as she fell against the wheel, her shirt slipping to reveal the gashes across her chest. May moved back like she’d been burned.

“What is that?” she asked.

“That happened last night,” Nicholas said. “On the lake. When she saved your life.”

May looked back at Daisy, whose breathing was starting to normalize as the pain began to subside. Daisy looked back at her, tying her shirt closed again. Her breath caught for a moment as May stepped back towards her.

“Forgive me,” she said softly. “Forgive me?”

Daisy nodded and May looked over at Nicholas. “Do you really think this can work?”

Nicholas ran a hand over his face. “I don’t know Melinda. I’ve read accounts of such things happening before. Days without nights. They’re mentioned from time to time in ancient texts. But I don’t know what it means. What I do know, is that there’s no sense riding into death without at least trying.” He walked to her and put a hand on her shoulder. “I failed the two of you once, I wouldn’t risk it a second time unless I thought there was a real chance.”

May gave a quick nod then turned her attention to Daisy. “And you, little thief.”

Daisy braced herself, expecting now to receive admonition for the cruel things she’d said. Instead, May reached out and cupped her cheek. “You were right, I would make different choices if I could go back. But he is my last and best reason for living.” She patted Daisy’s cheek and then straightened, looking over at Nicholas. “I’ll show you idiots how to trap a wolf.”

XXXXXXXXXX

Daisy willed herself to be still. It was like stealing, in a way. She had to stay calm, had to control her movements so as not to give herself away. She felt Nicholas reach over from where he drove the wagon to squeeze her knee in support. She looked over and gave him what she hoped was a smile, though she wondered if it looked more like a grimace.

The wagon moved slowly towards the castle gate, Daisy looked down into the moat that only a few weeks before she had swam out of to make her escape. When the gate guards approached their wagon she kept her head down, hopefully without looking like she was trying to keep her head down.

“What’s in the cart?” one of the guards barked.

“Wine, mostly,” Nicholas answers. “Made at my monastery on the orders of Bishop Garrett.”

The guards look skeptical but Nicholas merely smiles, reaches behind into the cart and retrieves two bottles. 

“Now,” he says, “the Bishop asked for two dozen bottles but our grapes were plentiful this year and I brought twenty six bottles. Still, he’s only expecting twenty-four so...well it’s awfully cold tonight isn’t it?”

The guards looked at each other, then looked at the bottles, then back at each other again. Then one guard reached out and took the bottles, waving them through the gate as he did so.

Once they were out of earshot Nicholas turned to Daisy, “Brainwashed they might be, but even the Hydra priests can’t impart intelligence.”

Daisy bit her lip to keep from laughing. They drove the cart towards the marketplace then, following Daisy’s instructions, they tucked into a dark corner. “I’ll take the horses to the stables,” Nicholas said. “I doubt any of the boys working there will recognize me.” Daisy nodded and tried to take deep, calming breaths as she watched him walk away.

“Are you alright?” came Phillip’s voice once Nicholas was gone. Daisy peered into the back of the cart.

“I’m fine,” she said. “I can see the cathedral from here. 

The queen and the bishop will be in there tomorrow for mass. And there’s an entrance to the sewers nearby. I’ll make sure she’s in place in time.”

“You’re sure you want to do this?” Phillip asked. “It’s not too late, Daisy. You could leave now, we’d understand. This isn’t your fight.”

Daisy shook her head. “She’ll never make it in without me.” 

“If anything goes wrong...”

“Get out and get to Hunter and Roberta, I know. And you’re wrong, it is my fight. It is now anyway. I’ve never had a family, not a proper one. Last few weeks...well if that’s all I get then I think it was enough. Even if we aren’t really a proper family either.”

Phillip reached his hand through the canvas flap covering the back of the cart and brushed a strand of hair back from her face. “All the more reason. Get yourself out. Go live your life. And try to stay out of the dungeon.”

Daisy nodded, not trusting herself to speak. She knew she had no intention of leaving them, but she also knew arguing with him about it would get them nowhere. She’d made her decision, chosen her side. And the next day it would be over, one way or another.

XXXXXXXXXX

“I’m afraid there’s no sign of them, Your Majesty,” Captain Ward said, his eyes darting to Bishop Garrett who stood beside the throne.

“You lost them?” the Queen asked, her voice dangerously quiet.

“We know they went to Father Nicholas,” Ward replied. “Beyond that we can find no trace of them.”

“You’ve failed, Captain. Something your predecessor would never have done.”

Ward bit back a comment about how his predecessor had betrayed the kingdom and run off with a man barely more than a commoner. He looked again at the Bishop who was smiling in a way that seemed to say he knew exactly what the young captain wanted to say.

“Ensure there are sufficient guards at mass tomorrow,” the Queen continued. “We have reason to believe they may be needed.”

“Yes, Your Highness,” Ward replied, giving a short bow and leaving the room.

“If she is to come,” Garrett said after Ward had left, “it will be at midday.”

“Yes,” the Queen said. “And we’ll be ready for her.”

XXXXXXXXXX

At dawn the next morning Daisy waited until May appeared from the back of the cart. She and Nicholas had spent the night huddled against a wall, using the cart as cover while Phillip stayed inside with the caged wolf. Now, May stepped out into the sunlight and handed the hawk to Nicholas.

“They’ll ring the bells to signal the start of mass. Mass ends just after midday,” she said. “If I fail, if I am dead, they will ring the bells to signal the Queen’s exit.” She reached into her belt and pulled out a small dagger. “If you hear bells a second time...” She held the dagger out to him.

“No, Melinda,” Nicholas said.

“You know it’s what he wants,” Melinda replied. “And I think you know you owe us. It’s the last thing we’ll ever ask of you.”

Daisy watched, unable to speak. Eventually, Nicholas reached out and took the dagger.

"Are you ready?" May asked.

"Hang on," Daisy replied, sliding under the cart. She emerged holding a rolled up blanket. She opened it to reveal May's sword and scabbard. May stared at the sword and at her before taking it and tying it to her waist. She nodded in gratitude and understanding and then reached out to stroke the hawk’s feathers for a final moment. She turned to Daisy. “Let’s go, little thief.”

Daisy gave Nicholas a final nod and then led May along the wall towards where she knew the sewer would be. Together they moved the heavy stone covering the entrance and lowered themselves down below the city. It was dark, but Daisy knew these tunnels well.

“I think we’re moving away from the cathedral,” May said after several minutes.

“I know. The tunnels aren’t built to get in and out of quickly. Whoever designed them knew that it was a weakness so they doubleback and dead end. We have to take the long way.”

“You’re sure?”

“Do you remember how I got my nickname? I know how to get to the cathedral. Trust me.”

They walked for what seemed like miles through the foul-smelling water, every so often climbing through holes that had been cut out of the walls. May began to wonder if Daisy had made the holes herself or had just discovered another’s work, but she didn’t ask. The sun was higher in the sky and she could hear people walking above them, it was best to make as little noise as possible. After another while, the voices and footsteps became more abundant.

“We’re close,” Daisy whispered. “We’re at the front of the cathedral, those are the people who will stand and wait for alms.”

May nodded and continued to follow the young woman down tunnel after tunnel until at last they came to a small corner where light was pouring through metal bars above them. Daisy pointed, “That’s the Bishop’s private study. Wait for the first bells to signal the start of mass, then climb up. The third bar from the left comes off.”

“Thank you,” May said. “Now go. Get as far away from this place as possible. Go to the Hub.”

Daisy nodded then began to run back down the tunnel the way they’d come. When she knew she would be out of sight she changed directions and headed down another passage. She had no intention of leaving now.

TBC


	10. A Miracle Too Late

Daisy waited in the tunnel beneath the side chapel. She could see the shadows of the people standing above her through the cracks in the mosaic tile. If her inner clock was accurate at all, it was nearly time for mass to begin. Then, all of a sudden, bells began to ring and there was a loud shuffling of feet across the floor above her. Daisy smiled, everyone cleared out of the side chapels when the bells rang, hoping to get a better look at the queen as she entered the church. When all the shadows had gone, she reached up and pushed against the tiles until a chunk that had obviously been cut out at some point moved free. She quickly pulled herself up and replaced the floor.

She pulled the hood of her cloak up around her head and moved to blend in with the crowds. She could see the queen and the bishop walking up through the nave towards the chapel. The queen took her usual seat at the front while the bishop began the service. Daisy looked around and counted at least ten guards posted throughout the aisles of the church. That was more than usual. She looked up and saw at least three more in the balconies.

Looking out the windows Daisy could see the sun in the sky. This close to the longest night of the year, she knew that the height of the sun meant it was nearing midday. Daisy had never really had faith. The nuns tried to beat it into all of them at St. Agnes but it never really took with her. Despite this she found herself silently mouthing a prayer to whatever god may be listening to protect May, to keep her alive long enough for Nicholas’ miracle to work.

The service drolled on and on. Daisy began to fear that something had happened, that the guards had found May hiding in the sewer. But just when she was wondering if she should head back to look, there was a commotion in the chapel and May appeared several feet behind where the Bishop stood. Daisy’s breath caught in her throat for a moment. May was dressed all in black, her cloak hanging on her shoulders. Her lower face was covered by the visor of her helmet but Daisy could see her eyes, hard and cold and focused on the queen.

The guards moved swiftly but not swiftly enough to prevent May from driving her sword through the Bishop’s back. Garrett fell quickly and silently, a look of shock on his face.

The guards attacked by the were no match for May who moved like a dancer on stage, cutting each down while ducking the arrows shot by the guards on the balconies. Daisy, like the rest of the crowd it seemed, was frozen in awe. In a matter of minutes only one guard remained standing between the queen and May, Daisy could tell from his uniform that it was the new captain of the guard. The man who had captured her months earlier, the man who had locked her in the dungeon with a laugh and a kick to her ribs.

An arrow shot just past May’s ear and she looked up, realizing that one of the balcony guards was still alive. She quickly through a dagger up, striking the man in the heart and causing him to stumble towards the railing of the balcony. Daisy watched in horror as he got caught in the bell ropes and fell. The sound of bells ringing flooded the cathedral and Daisy felt the tears run down her face.

May stared at the hanging man, her face tight. Daisy saw her close her eyes and heard her whisper, “Make it quick Nicholas.” Then she turned back to Ward and the queen.

XXXXXXXXXX

Nicholas stood beside his cart and closed his eyes as he heard the bells begin to ring for the second time that day. He looked at the hawk perched on his wrist and felt May’s dagger in his other hand.

“I’m sorry,” he whispered, raising the dagger. "God forgive me."

XXXXXXXXXX

May and Ward circled each other in the nave.

“You should have stayed away,” Ward said.

“You should have made sure I was dead,” May replied. They neared each other and raised their swords but were halted by the cries of the crowd.

Daisy followed the stares and pointing of the crowd and saw out the window that the light was dimming. She could see the sun being slowly covered by a round shadow.

May stood, her sword still raised, and watched as the shadow began to pass over the sun. “A night without a day,” she whispered. “A day without a night.” Then she remembered the bells and yelled out, giving Ward just enough time to block the blow she leveled at him. 

The attention of the crowd was back on the two soldiers as they fought. It was clear that Ward was talented, but Daisy knew that May was better. And Daisy knew that May had nothing to lose. Phillip was dead, Nicholas’ miracle had come too late.

Ward got the upper hand for a moment, knocking May onto one knee and standing over her. “As it should be,” he taunted, “you on your knees, me above you.”

May smirked and Daisy knew Ward was in trouble. “You were never above me,” she spat at him. 

Before Ward could react May pulled her crossbow from beneath her cloak and shot him through the foot. Ward cried out in pain and May rose and slashed him across the throat. He sputtered for a moment and then fell to the ground.

The cathedral was silent. May stepped towards the queen who was now cowering in the pew. She pulled the monarch up by the arm and pushed her towards the sanctuary. The queen stood where the Bishop had stood minutes before. Then she drew her shoulders up and fixed May with an evil grin.

“But kill me May, and the curse goes on forever. We must think of Phillip.”

May reached up and pulled off her helmet, tossing it to the side with a loud clank. “Phillip,” she said, her voice catching, “is dead.”

The queen stumbled back slightly and Daisy could see a tear on May’s cheek.

“Damn you,” May said through her teeth, raising her sword above her head. “Damn you to he...”

Her curse was cut off by a voice from the door to the cathedral.

“Melinda?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Last part up soon. Please don't kill me.


	11. A Bit of a Day

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Last chapter everyone. Thanks so much for reading.

“Melinda?”

All eyes turned to the back of the cathedral but Daisy kept hers on May who had fallen to her knees, her sword crashing onto the marble floor. After a moment May turned, the leather of her armor creaking in the silence. Her face was fraught, twisted almost in pain. But when her eyes finally focused on the figure who had come through the door, all the lines disappeared.

Phillip stood at the end of the nave. He stared back at May, unable to continue to move. He was dressed in a loose tunic and pants that were slightly too short, feet bare. Daisy looked back and forth between them, almost not noticing when Nicholas put a hand on her shoulder, coming to stand at her side. Daisy was sure she’d never seen anything as beautiful as this moment.

Behind May, the queen had covered her eyes with her arms. She stumbled backwards and the sound seemed to break May out of a trance. May stood and grabbed the queen, pulling her arms away.

“Look at him!” she yelled. When the queen kept her head down May forced her down onto her knees and shook her. “Look at him!”

At last the queen looked up and Daisy saw her eyes focus on Phillip. May gave the queen one more shake and then moved to kneel a few feet in front of her. “Now,” she said a little more calmly. “Look at us.” The queen kept her eyes on Phillip and May shouted, “Look at us!” 

The queen turned her head slightly and Daisy heard Nicholas sigh beside her. “It’s over,” he whispered. “It’s broken.”

May knelt before the queen, her shoulders shaking with what Daisy knew were silent sobs. The cathedral was silent, no one knew what to do. Then Daisy turned and realized that Phillip had at last begun to move. He walked slowly up the nave, Daisy could see that his hands were shaking. His bare feet made a quiet noise against the marble as he moved towards May, who had turned when she heard his approach.

Daisy wiped at the tears coating her cheeks and felt Nicholas wrap his arm around her shoulders.

Phillip reached out his left hand and for what felt like days it hung in the air between them. Then he touched her cheek and May let out an audible sob. They stared at each other, not moving, not speaking. His hand on her cheek, her hand covering his.

Then Daisy saw as Phillip’s face turned hard. He looked past May’s shoulder and his eyes found the queen’s. He took a few more steps toward her and then held out his right hand, curled into a tight fist. His jaw clenched and he opened his hand, revealing the leather strings he’d worn as a hawk. They hung from his fingers for a moment before they dropped before the queen. With a last look of utter contempt, Phillip turned his back.

All of a sudden Daisy cried out, “May!”

The queen had lifted the bishop’s crosier, the sharp bottom end pointed at Phillip’s back. “If I can’t have him...”

Her words were cut short by May’s sword flying through the air, it struck the queen through the stomach, the crosier still raised above her head. She stumbled back, a trickle of blood ran from her mouth, until she was against the wall of the sanctuary. The queen slid down the wall, blood smearing a trail behind her, until she hit the ground and was still.

The people in the cathedral began to move towards the doors. “What happens now?” Daisy asked.

“Garrett is dead,” Nicholas replied softly. “The guards should get their minds back now. The queen’s half-sister Margaret will likely take the crown. She has support abroad and within the kingdom.”

Daisy nodded, only half-listening. Her focus was still on the two people in the center of the church.

May was still kneeling on the ground, her breathing heavy as she tried to process all that had happened in the last few minutes. Phillip too seemed stunned. But his head seemed to clear sooner and all of a sudden he moved swiftly to kneel before May. He held her face in his hands and wiped away her tears.

“Phil,” she said, her voice so different than the harsh tones Daisy had come to expect.

“Mel,” Phillip replied. 

May reached out and touched the scar on his chest, visible through the collar of his shirt. “I’m alright,” he whispered. May just nodded.

Their foreheads came to rest together, May’s arms wrapped around his waist. His thumbs stroked her cheeks and he kissed her eyes and her lips and then he pulled her close and held her. A beautiful sound rose up and Daisy realized May was laughing. Then Phillip began laughing as well and they pulled apart and stood.

Daisy was crying but couldn't bring herself to care. She turned and kissed Nicholas’ cheek. He laughed, tears in his eyes as well. Then they moved from their place half hidden by a column and towards May and Phillip who were already walking towards them, hands entwined tightly.

They stood in a small circle, none of the four knowing what to say. Finally May looked at Nicholas, “Thank you,” she said. “We owe you.” She reached out and grasped his shoulder, he mirrored her action.

“You still have his back?” he asked, nodding to Phillip.

“Always,” May said, smiling. They squeezed each other’s shoulders and pulled away.

“Thank you Nick,” Phillip said, reaching out to shake the other man’s hand. “Are you sticking around?”

“Nah,” he said. “I like my little spot in the mountains. You’re welcome anytime of course.”

“Why do I feel like you’ll figure out a way to check up on us no matter where we are?” May asked.

Nicholas just laughed, patted Daisy on the shoulder. "I'm everywhere Melinda, you know that." And, with that, he walked out the door.

Daisy was swiping at her cheeks, unable to completely stop the flow of tears. She wasn’t sure if she was crying because of what had happened or because she knew they were going to leave her now. Probably both, if she was honest with herself.

“So,” Phillip said, turning to her. “You’ve had a bit of a day.”

Daisy laughed out loud. Then Phillip reached out and pulled her into a hug. “We owe you everything,” he said. She sniffled in response, resting her forehead against his shoulder for a moment before pulling away.

May reached out and touched her face, still wet though she had finally managed to stop crying. “Thank you, little thief.”

Daisy nodded and then looked down at the floor as Phillip and May began to walk out of the cathedral.

“Hey,” May called.

Daisy looked up and saw that they had stopped in the doorway and were both staring at her, their brows furrowed.

“Are you coming?” Phillip asked.

Daisy thought her face would break from smiling as she ran to catch up with them.

“Whatever you do,” May said as they walked out into the sunshine, “don’t let him try to teach you the history of the kingdom because he thinks legendary warriors were real. And definitely don't let him teach you accounting. Have Bobbi teach you smithing instead.”

Daisy looked over to Phillip, waiting for his comeback but instead found him just standing with his eyes closed and his face to the sun.

The End

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks again for reading and especially to everyone who left a comment.


End file.
